Transcription
Welcome to listen to "Li Tian Xia" and "Na Zao Qian" from the early days. The master of Japanese mystery novels, Higashino Keigo, was discussed. It was discovered that, besides me, many netizens also greatly admire Higashino Keigo and are very interested in mystery novels. So, as a fan of Higashino Keigo, I thought, why not use Higashino Keigo's deductive methods to dissect a rather peculiar case with everyone? Additionally, I will share with you the four greatest masters of mystery novels in my heart and analyze the characteristics of their works. So, let's get straight to the point. On July 29th, at around 2 AM, in Mong Kok, a person was stabbed in the neck with a sharp object. Of course, they were bleeding. This person was a wealthy businessman. He eventually fell to the ground, and someone called the police. The injured person was a man, and after being sent to the hospital, his life was saved. The police searched the scene and found a blood trail downstairs from the building where the incident occurred, leading to a unit. The police deployed a large force, sealed off the entire Mong Kok building, and went upstairs with shields. Finally, they took away several Thai women to assist with the investigation. It is preliminarily believed that the incident is related to these Thai women. However, what exactly happened is still unclear. Finally, the police stated that they are looking for a 20-something Thai man. This Thai man was wearing a mask when he committed the crime. Later, according to reports, the man who was stabbed in the neck with a sharp object is a 35-year-old mainland Chinese man. He claimed to be a tourist from mainland China. He went to the Mong Kok building to find a prostitute. He entered the unit, and a dispute arose over the price. Later, it was discovered that the other party was not a prostitute, but a transgender person. The mainland tourist said he was dissatisfied and then used a sharp object, believed to be a knife, to stab him in the neck. The above information is from media reports. When I first saw this news, my first reaction was: this is too simple, it can't be as simple as they say. So, I tried to use deductive methods to investigate the case. The first point I would focus on is time and people. A 30-something mainland tourist came to Hong Kong. Finding a prostitute in Mong Kok is completely reasonable. I believe there is information on mainland social media that teaches people how to find prostitutes in Hong Kong. Just like in the early days when mainlanders started traveling to Hong Kong, many mainlanders would buy goods and bring them back to the mainland. The situation is similar. A 30-something mainland man going to Mong Kok to find a prostitute is basically reasonable. However, going at 2 AM is a big problem. First, who would go to find a prostitute so late at night? Of course, there are people. For example, some people finish work very late, maybe finishing at 12 AM, then eating something, and then having needs. So, it's not that late. This is normal. Also, some people go out to play, and they get more excited, so their bodies might get aroused, and they go at that time. This is quite common. But a mainland tourist going to Mong Kok at 2 AM has suspicious points. Why at 2 AM? Tourists are definitely not as familiar with Hong Kong as locals. Mong Kok is always a chaotic place. It's different now. In the past, even at 4 AM in Mong Kok, there were still many people queuing at the minibus stops, waiting for buses. Mong Kok is different now. It's normal for someone to be walking alone in Mong Kok at 2 AM, and they wouldn't feel safe. So, why did this Mr. Chen from the mainland go to Mong Kok at 2 AM to find a prostitute? As a tourist, he could have gone at any time, or at least at 11 PM. Why at 2 AM? Could it be that he was so aroused that he didn't fear danger and had to go to Mong Kok? This is already a big doubt. Similarly, from the perspective of the prostitute, what kind of prostitute would open the door at 2 AM? Think about it, the chance of a man who has drunk alcohol or had a late night is very high. The danger for prostitutes is naturally very high. Think about what could happen inside a unit, and no one would know. If something happens, it could be a real accident, and it would be very troublesome for the prostitute. Even if someone just walks in and enters a unit, it can be very troublesome and you don't know what to do. Therefore, such prostitutes who receive clients either don't operate enough during the day compared to their sisters, or they only operate at night, or they charge more. They take risks for profit, hoping for a gamble. But no matter what, the number of prostitutes who work day and night, or only at night, must be smaller. So, if the mainland tourist, Mr. Chen, was normal, he should have thought that going to find a prostitute at 2 AM is not a good idea. Why choose 2 AM with such high risk? Why? If we use Higashino Keigo's deductive methods, we will start from human nature. I believe that the client and the prostitute did not just meet at that moment. They had prior contact, or even knew each other. Why do I say this? Because only at 2 AM, alone in Mong Kok, would someone feel safe opening the door. If we knew each other, we would have made an appointment, and everything would become reasonable, wouldn't it? Let's also reason from the perspective of the prostitute. For a transgender prostitute, there is no reason to accept clients like other prostitutes. Normally, if you look carefully, you can tell if the other person is transgender or not. If they are deceived, they can be reported at any time. Therefore, transgender people accepting clients are mostly in niche circles, advertised on niche platforms, and provide niche services. Transgender people cannot provide mainstream services like other prostitutes, because if they do, it will only bring them more trouble and less profit. So, I would assume that this mainland tourist found this transgender prostitute on those advertising platforms for transgender clients. Then, after the mainland tourist arrived, a conflict and a bloody incident occurred. Okay, here comes the problem again. The price dispute. If it was an appointment, the price should have been discussed. Why would they negotiate the price at the door? At most, they would argue about the price, but would they stab someone in the neck? If we look at it from the perspective of human nature, I believe that anger led to the knife being drawn, and it must have been very, very angry to stab someone in the neck. Why did it escalate to this point? The following is entirely based on the deductions of a novelist or screenwriter. It is a deduction, but Mr. Chen from the mainland had already found the contact number of this transgender person. This transgender person operates in Hong Kong and must have a group of regular customers in Hong Kong. The prostitute advertises in Mong Kok and is introduced to customers through platforms. The customers also know the prostitute. Mr. Chen said he was in Hong Kong. Mr. Chen said, "Since I'm also in Hong Kong, why don't we meet?" The prostitute had other work arrangements that night, or had an appointment with someone. So, he told Mr. Chen that he would only be back in Hong Kong at 2 AM. Mr. Chen said, "Okay." So, they met. They were ready for battle. When they started talking, Mr. Chen thought it was the mainland price, but the prostitute said he operates in Hong Kong and charges Hong Kong prices, because the prostitute also has to pay Hong Kong people. So, he felt betrayed. He thought they were both in the same boat, but in reality, the other person didn't treat him as an equal. So, perhaps he was angry, and perhaps he wanted to ruin the other person's business and drive him back to the mainland, so he wouldn't be able to work anymore. What about the prostitute? Perhaps before returning, he had work arrangements and was very tired. It's also possible that the prostitute had an appointment with his peers in Hong Kong. They might have been drinking or even had a late night. So, in a moment of anger, he stabbed him in the neck. Think about it, how desperate must the person who drew the knife be over a price dispute? If the price was not right, Mr. Chen could have left immediately. Why would he get into a situation where he was almost killed? It can be said that the injured person was also careless at the time. Okay, if it were Higashino Keigo, or the previous generation of Japanese mystery masters, Shimada Seishi, I would write this case as two marginalized figures in society, both with tragic backgrounds. They could have had a brief moment of warmth, but due to fate, various misunderstandings, and coincidences, it resulted in a bloody incident. Mr. Chen was stabbed in the neck, and the prostitute was injured. This point is one of the greatest characteristics of Higashino Keigo's works.
Okay, now we move to the second part. Let's talk about the four greatest mystery novel masters in my heart. These four kings, the ranking is not important. The four masters are the author of Sherlock Holmes, the world-renowned Arthur Conan Doyle, the American mystery novelist Raymond Chandler, the Japanese Seishi Yokomizo, and the recently discussed Higashino Keigo. Why do two of them occupy positions? I will explain again. First, when it comes to mystery novels, it should be Edgar Allan Poe from the United States. Poe is considered the greatest American writer after Mark Twain. 183 years ago, Poe created a character, C. Auguste Dupin. Poe wrote five short stories featuring this character. From the perspective of the stories, they are about how to solve locked-room murders and decipher seemingly impossible cases. Poe pioneered the genre of detective literature, and since then, murder mysteries, train murders, and other similar themes have become classic elements of mystery novels. Countless stories of this type exist. In Japan, these themes are called "honkaku," which means traditional puzzle design and intellectual problem-solving. These "honkaku" stories usually take place in extreme spaces. However, in terms of deductive methods, Poe's works are not yet detailed enough. It can be said that it was just the beginning. Finally, in 1887, Arthur Conan Doyle from Britain created Sherlock Holmes. The name Sherlock Holmes has become synonymous with detective reasoning, logic, and deep thought. Although he was a novelist, he was also an ophthalmologist. He was a scientist, but he was also interested in supernatural phenomena and the revolution of science. The British believed that science could solve problems, reason could overcome superstition, and observation and logical deduction could unravel all mysteries. Therefore, Holmes used scientific calculations to solve difficult cases. All his deductions were supported by sufficient evidence. So, in his novels, villains are always villains, and the police are just foolish, not evil. The truth can always be found, and justice will always prevail. This idea was in line with the thinking of Britain and the rest of the world at the time, and few people would question it. Next, the master is the American female writer Raymond Chandler. Chandler was an American who immigrated to Britain. In 1939, he wrote his first mystery novel, and it was a great success. Even Haruki Murakami said he was influenced by Chandler. His novels are considered hard-boiled. The content of his novels focuses on the American Great Depression, gangsters, Prohibition, and political corruption. The detective he created is named Philip Marlowe. The characteristic of his novels is not to use science to find evidence, but to focus on describing the characters in the case, who is lying, and who is telling the truth. Marlowe then deciphers the lies of different people. Therefore, in Chandler's novels, the characters, whether rich or poor, powerful or powerless, are all bad people, except for the detective Marlowe, who is a bit better. Marlowe believes that he cannot change the world, and he only hopes to choose the least bad option. What Marlowe protects is not justice, but his own professionalism. This style belongs to the hard-boiled, noir style. As for Japan, early mystery novelists were influenced by Europe and America. They wrote about locked-room murders and deciphering mysteries. In short, these cases always took place in specific spaces, such as mountains or islands. However, Seishi Yokomizo broke this "honkaku" framework. He placed the background of the cases in Japanese society and daily life. The focus was not on how the murderer killed, but on why they killed, meaning the "why." He believed that the world of "honkaku" always leads someone to kill. Therefore, his novels often feature corruption, wealth disparity, and the plight of women. The murderer's killing is a critique of the system. The murderer cannot escape a tragic fate. He brought "honkaku" into social commentary. Because of this, Yokomizo's novels not only provide the pleasure of solving puzzles but also create a new path. Then comes Higashino Keigo. He takes it a step further, and the puzzles to be solved are the human heart and human nature. He uses deductive methods to depict why a person does a certain thing. Higashino Keigo goes further than Yokomizo. He further expands social issues, from juvenile delinquency to the plight of the elderly, all of which can become material for mystery novels. Therefore, his portrayal of human nature is even deeper. Because he graduated from electrical engineering, his works also incorporate a large amount of scientific elements. The detective series, for example, includes a lot of scientific elements. By the time of the publication of "Miracles of the Namiya General Store" in 2012, this book is no longer a crime mystery novel, but a fantasy story. Strange things happen in this fantasy scenario, but in the end, they are all explained in reality. And many people in the events ultimately cannot escape their fate. However, it is said that this book is incredibly moving. The above are the four greatest mystery masters in my heart. Finally, why are Japanese mystery novels so prolific and famous? First, Japan is a society that appears calm on the surface but is actually very turbulent. Japanese people, especially those in Tokyo, live stressful lives. How can they not have emotions? Japanese people cannot vent their emotions by fighting in the subway like Hong Kong people. So, when their emotions erupt, murder incidents are not uncommon. This is a unique belief in Japan. Higashino Keigo once said that every ordinary person can commit a crime because of a small incident. Therefore, the murderers in Higashino Keigo's novels are often ordinary people, such as housewives, students, teachers, or doctors. Japanese people believe there is a reason for this. Japanese people think. Japanese people are also detail-oriented, so the clues are more subtle. Similarly, readers of "honkaku" are also very interested in observing clues. And Japanese people also believe in the butterfly effect. They believe that a word spoken by someone 10 years ago can lead to their death today. Therefore, these elements combined make Japanese mystery novels outstanding in both quality and quantity. Well, this video has really made everyone endure until now. Thank you. Please remember to subscribe to Li Tian Xia. If you like this video, please support us. Goodbye.